Park Slope Food Co-op Votes To Boycott Israeli Products After Gaza Resolution

In Brooklyn’s Park Slope, the Park Slope Food Co-op voted Tuesday night to boycott Israeli products, with 67% supporting the measure, 31% opposing, and 2% abstaining.

“PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A vote at the Park Slope Food Coop on Tuesday night intensified an already heated debate among members over whether the grocery should boycott Israeli products amid the ongoing conflict involving Israel and Gaza”

ABC7 Eyewitness News

The boycott was framed as a response to Gaza, with one resolution calling for boycotts “until Israel complies with international law, including by ceasing unlawful discriminatory practices, in its treatment of Palestinians.”

ABC7 Eyewitness News

The vote followed a contentious, security-driven shift to a virtual meeting, after the co-op’s management said disagreements had “escalated into verbal confrontations and, in some cases, physical altercations” between members.

Outside the co-op, campaigners handed out fliers as shoppers passed, with one anti-boycott activist urging, “For the health of the co-op, vote ‘No,'” while a boycott campaigner held a sign reading, “Vote ‘Yes’ to stop genocide.”

The co-op’s internal fight drew sharp, competing claims about antisemitism and advocacy, with Brandeis Center chairman and CEO Kenneth Marcus calling the boycott “a deeply disappointing and dangerous outcome.”

Marcus said, “BDS is an inherently anti-Semitic and discriminatory campaign whose purpose is the isolation and ultimate elimination of the Jewish state,” positioning the vote as hostility toward Jews beyond Israel.

Brooklyn Paper

On the other side, boycott supporters argued the measure was consistent with the co-op’s activism and demanded compliance with international law, while a member of the co-op for Palestine said, “A yes vote on this boycott is a vote against genocide, a vote against apartheid and a vote to return our co-op to the right side of history.”

Opposition also centered on governance and procedure, with the co-op’s debate including a change to allow a simple majority rather than a 75% supermajority, and opponents said they were not given an opportunity to debate the motion or its financial impact.

In the middle of the dispute, the co-op hired security personnel as management warned of threats and “suspicious packages,” while the meeting proceeded online due to expected turnout and security concerns.

After the Tuesday vote, the co-op’s board ratified the decisions, and Brooklyn Paper reported that as of Wednesday morning, most products—including produce, tahini, olive oil, snacks and beauty supplies—had been removed from the co-op’s shelves and donated to CHIPS, a food pantry in Park Slope.

The boycott’s scope was described as affecting Israeli goods and related items, with the co-op saying it currently carries nine products made in Israel, including five Ecolove hair products, tahinis, and a peanut butter snack puff called Osem Bamba.

Opponents warned the vote could fracture membership and finances, with Co-op 4 Unity saying a week prior to the meeting, 60% of respondents said they would resign, request a refund of their equity deposits, or take an extended leave, and it estimated a decline would result in a loss of around $400,000 in sales.

Supporters portrayed the decision as a model for other institutions, while the co-op’s management said it increased security measures citing “threatening letters, suspicious substances sent through the mail, aggressive phone calls and emails.”

The dispute also spilled into local politics and public statements, as Rep. Dan Goldman and Brad Lander agreed on not pursuing a local boycott of Israeli products, even as they differed on aid to Israel and Lander said Israel’s conduct amounts to a “genocide” in Gaza.